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Skellerup Annual Shareholders Meeting 2017

AGM25 October 2017SKLIndustrials

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Skellerup Holdings Limited

Annual Shareholders Meeting 25 October 2017

CEO’s Address

Thank you, Liz, good afternoon everybody.

Liz referred to the past year as having been a year of change, and it certainly has been that.

Change, rapid change, is something that we have become very familiar with in recent years.

I’m very pleased that we have anticipated many of those changes and adapted our business

accordingly. However, I am equally conscious of the need for, and the benefits of, stability and

continuity – especially in a volatile marketplace.

Possibly the most notable change in the past year – certainly the most tangible change – is the move

into our new dairy rubberware facility at Wigram. Before I talk more on this I would like to show you

a short video clip of this great new facility.

The move to Wigram is now complete. It is a first-class example of how resilient we are in the face of

adversity.

To me, as much as it showcases innovation, Wigram also represents a commitment to some

enduring fundamentals.

It demonstrates a commitment to Canterbury and to New Zealand that is part of who we are. It

demonstrates a commitment to agricultural and industrial customers that have played such a big

part in our success to date, and – perhaps most importantly – it demonstrates our commitment to

manufacturing excellence: to maintaining our unique mix of scientific, engineering, and technical

expertise that gives us such an advantage in meeting the needs of our customers both in New

Zealand and around the world.

And by meeting those needs, by providing our customers with better solutions, rather than just

enabling them to tweak their existing products, we build trust, loyalty, and the long-term

relationships that underpin our success.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board for its support and the team in Christchurch

who have worked tirelessly to make this happen.

The other significant change has been our business focus. Over the past several years, we have

focussed our product development on solutions that are not dependent on commodity prices. The

past year produced strong results: a net profit after tax of $22.1 million – at the higher end of what

we had expected, and eight percent up on the previous year. Rising earnings in both the Agri and

Industrial divisions (and, importantly, good increases in earnings as a percentage of revenue in both

divisions), supported an increased dividend to shareholders.

The FY17 results that were reported to you earlier this year are briefly summarised on the screens

behind me. The annual report also gives some clear indications of where we think the business will

go over the current year and into the future.

For example, sales into the iron ore mining; and oil and gas sectors have been sluggish in recent

years, as low commodity prices have led to cuts in maintenance spending and reduced exploration

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activity. However, we have more than offset this negative impact with growth in revenue from sales

into potable water infrastructure and consumer applications.

Customers in the water and wastewater industries now generate more than a third of the Industrial

Division’s revenue.

Growing populations, changing weather patterns, ageing infrastructure and increasingly stringent

environmental standards are creating challenges for organisations charged with supplying drinking

water and removing and treating wastewater. In turn, they are challenging industry players to

develop products that get the job done more effectively, more efficiently, and with a balance of cost

and performance or features.

Our experience in developing and manufacturing food-grade rubberware – as well as in developing

components for equipment manufacturers in the automotive, appliance, oil, and gas industries, all of

which involve strict performance criteria and certification regimes – gives Skellerup a significant

advantage over other companies.

In the United States, for example, Skellerup is involved throughout the entire drinking water supply

process, from the reservoir to the tap, with our Gulf-branded components featuring in systems and

products manufactured by the likes of US Pipe, McWane, Charlotte Pipe, Moen, Kohler and Delta.

Australia is another market where long-term water security is a growing concern. We believe this

market offers considerable opportunities, both in drinking water and wastewater– and we are

working to develop those opportunities.

Seals and fasteners used in roofing applications also make a significant contribution to Industrial

Division revenues, and we expect to build on the past year’s sales growth in diverse markets

including Australia, Asia, the Middle East and the US.

Our Agri business has seen dairy commodity prices strengthen and stabilise. This has benefited our

New Zealand business, as farmers caught up on deferred maintenance during the winter months.

Looking ahead, with milk prices currently forecast to be better than the season just gone, we expect

a good year for domestic sales.

Internationally, we experienced increased demand in Europe towards the end of the past year, in

line with increased milk production. We also had a strong year in the US with demand solid

throughout plus we benefitted through liner innovation and the introduction of our milk filters into

this market. With Wigram now fully operational, we are focusing on achieving further growth in

overseas markets.

There is significant potential to increase sales in markets that are still developing such as Asia and

South America. Skellerup’s combination of key relationships and on-farm expertise gives us a

considerable advantage in growing our sales into these markets.

Building customer relationships and trust takes time – our team at Wigram is currently creating

products that will be used to milk cows that are yet to be born. However, taking the time to work

through the development process with the ultimate customers on the farm means that our products

become part of their processes, making it very difficult to remove them in favour of a rival offering.

A common thread across our Industrial and Agri Divisions is that in, many instances, we produce

essential components that have a crucial part to play. It may be in maintaining animal health or milk

quality, or in maintaining the weathertightness of a building or the integrity of a drinking water

supply network. Typically, if one of our products fails to do its job, the whole system is

compromised.

Our customers need to be able to trust us. And they can.

By developing and maintaining strong relationships with those customers and helping them to

succeed, while at the same time continuing to improve our own processes, we will continue to

create an organisation of which we can all be proud and deliver strong results for our shareholders.

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Of course, it is our people that are the key to our current and future success. We have some very

experienced and talented engineers, chemists, sales and operational experts. We have also

developed and will continue to develop a group of talented young leaders. These people are

showing that they can truly be international business people, and they are motivated to succeed.

I am confident we are moving in the right direction, and that we have in place the people and the

processes to improve our position and our performance in the year ahead. As noted in a release to

the NZX earlier today EBIT for Q1 of the current year is more than 10% of the comparable quarter of

last year. As a result we expect an improvement in underlying profitability for the FY18 year,

however given the season nature of our business it is too early in the year to provide any further

guidance.

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Skellerup Annual Shareholders Meeting 2017

25 October 2017

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Chair’s Address

Liz Coutts | Chair

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CEO’s Address

David Mair | CEO & Executive Director

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Skellerup FY17

NZ$ MillionFY17FY16FY15

Revenue79.279.680.5

EBIT19.818.822.1

EBIT %24.923.627.4

•EBIT up 11% in FY17.

•Revenue measured in constant currency up 5% in FY17 (for both Divisions).

•Agri: Recovery in international dairy price & strong footwear sales.

•Industrial: Growth in potable water, roofing and automotive applications. Improved cost structure.

NZ$ MillionFY17FY16FY15

Revenue131.2132.0123.0

EBIT17.115.314.0

EBIT %13.111.611.4

IndustrialDivisionAgriDivision

NZ$ MillionFY17FY16FY15

Revenue210.3211.4203.0

EBIT32.829.531.1

Finance expense(1.4)(0.4)(0.2)

Tax expense(9.3)(8.4)(9.0)

NPAT22.120.521.9

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Resolutions

Liz Coutts | Chair

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Shareholder Resolutions

Election of Director

David CushingIn favourAgainstAbstain

Postal Votes63,824,195319,0846,850

Proxy Appointee: Chair of the Meeting 524,676--

Proxy Appointee: Liz Coutts7,000--

Total64,355,871319,0846,850

•Proxy Appointee votes granted are all discretionary and will be voted in favour of the resolution.

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Shareholder Resolutions

Auditor’s Remuneration

In favourAgainstAbstain

Postal Votes63,701,830354,79924,000

Proxy Appointee: Chair of the Meeting 619,676--

Proxy Appointee: Liz Coutts7,000--

Total64,328,506354,79924,000

•Proxy Appointee votes granted are all discretionary and will be voted in favour of the resolution.

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Questions

Liz Coutts | Chair

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Acknowledgement for retiring Directors

Liz Coutts | Chair

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Dr Ian Parton

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Sir Selwyn Cushing

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Sir Selwyn Cushing

Sir Selwyn Cushing & Skellerup

•Association and contribution to Skellerup

since 1985.

•Appointed a director in 1986 as Brierley

Investments took a majority stake in the

company. Appointed Chairman in 1987 and

retired from the Board in 1992.

•Returned to the Board in 2007 at a time

when the company was carried high debt.

Appointed Chairman again in 2008 and

retiring today 10 years later leaving

Skellerup in a robust financial position with

a track record of strong earnings and

excellent prospects for growth.

•Chair of the Board:

‒1987 to 1992

‒1998

‒2008 to 2017

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Sir Selwyn Cushing

Skellerup Young Farmer of the Year Awards 1991

Appointed Chairman 1987

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Sir Selwyn Cushing

Sir Selwyn returns as Chairman of Skellerup 2008Retires as Chairman 1992

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Sir Selwyn Cushing

(left) Ground Breaking Ceremony November 2014

(above)Opening Ceremony November 2016

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Meeting Close

Liz Coutts | Chair

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Skellerup Holdings Limited

Annual Shareholders Meeting 25 October 2017

Chair’s Address

Good afternoon and welcome to this year’s Annual Meeting.

The past year has been a year of change for Skellerup, a year of growth and development, a year in

which the hard work of the past few years started to show through on the bottom line, and a year in

which we positioned ourselves for further and faster growth and development.

Skellerup as a company is many things.

We are a company that manufactures components for long-established, one might even call them

traditional, industries: but we do so using tools and techniques that are way out in front of the field

in terms of technical, chemical, and engineering innovation.

We are a Kiwi icon: we are also a truly international business.

And while we are a company with a proud history, we are also a company with an exciting future.

Over the course of this year, in my new role as Chair, I have spent a good deal of time reviewing

what Skellerup does and how we do it.

I have spoken to people throughout the business about where they see the opportunities for us to

grow and develop, and I have discussed with my fellow directors and with the Leadership Team how

we might refine our strategic direction to fully exploit our competitive advantages:

• technical know-how

• an ability to innovate

• a reputation for quality and reliability,

• strong relationships, and

• a global network

Increasingly, our opportunities lie overseas.

We now make products in North America, Europe and Asia, as well as in New Zealand, and we have

staff based in key markets around the world.

More than three-quarters of our revenue is generated overseas: the US is now our largest market,

and has significant potential to grow even further, while Europe and Asia also offer exciting

opportunities for both our Agricultural and our Industrial products and services.

Over the past few years, Skellerup has had to run hard to keep moving the business forward.

Turbulent times in global markets – particularly dairy, mining, and oil and gas – have forced us to

adapt fast, and to reshape and reorient our operations so as to ensure we are targeting the right

customers in the right industries.

Through that process, we have created a more secure business model, a strong and resilient

company with the right people in the right places, supported by the right structure.

We have maintained profitability while investing significantly in our infrastructure – most obviously

at Wigram, but also in the United States and in other markets around the world.

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We have also maintained a strong balance sheet; both the Agri and the Industrial Divisions

generated improved earnings in the past year, and that is reflected in an increased dividend

payment to shareholders, continuing the Board’s well-established practice of increasing dividends as

profit growth allows.

We have invested well, and the infrastructure we have created gives us a sound base for further

international growth. That growth may be organic, as much of our recent growth has been, but we

are also very willing to consider suitable acquisitions and other opportunities to build scale more

rapidly in order to take full advantage of the strong platform we have built.

As highlighted earlier increasingly the growth in revenue and earnings is and will come from our

business based outside New Zealand. This will impact on the extent to which we are able to fully

impute dividend payments in the future.

We have demonstrated that we can succeed in diverse markets overseas, we have a board with a

strong international perspective and an understanding of key markets, and a leadership team with

proven credentials.

We are proud to be a New Zealand company, and our home market will always be important to us,

but I expect our overseas operations to play an increasing part in Skellerup’s continuing growth and

development.

I referred earlier to this year as having been a year of change: one of the most significant changes is

Sir Selwyn Cushing’s retirement from the Board he has been part of for 10 years. Of course, Selwyn’s

involvement with Skellerup goes back much further having also chaired the company between 1987

and 1993.

Throughout his chairmanship, Selwyn placed considerable importance on maintaining a strong

balance sheet and a consistent dividend policy, and encouraged management’s continued delivery of

strong operating cash flow. That continues to underpin the Board’s confidence in our ability to

develop and grow the business both at home and, more particularly, overseas.

Selwyn was also closely associated with the development of our new Wigram facility. His

involvement in this highlighted his tenacity and determination, his vision for Skellerup and for New

Zealand manufacturing, and his remarkable network of friends and associates, many of whom

played important parts in the project’s successful conclusion.

I thank him for everything he has done for the company, and for the support and guidance he has

given me personally.

Ian Parton is also retiring after serving over 6 years on the Board. As it transpired with the

Christchurch earthquakes, we could not have appointed a more qualified and appropriate director

given Ian‘s civil engineering and leadership expertise. Ian‘s wise counsel, breadth of knowledge and

networks have been invaluable as we first considered, progressed and relocated our dairy rubber

ware operations from Woolston to Wigram in Christchurch. David will show you a video of our new

Wigram dairy rubber ware facility shortly. Thank you, Ian, for the contribution you have made to

Skellerup.

The Board has given considerable thought to our Board succession in recent years. As a part of the

succession, John Strowger and Alan Isaac were appointed to the Board in the last 2 and 1/2 years

providing Skellerup with the professional expertise and diversity of skills required. John is Chair of

our Health & Safety Committee and Alan has taken on the role of Audit & Risk Management

Committee Chair following my appointment as Chair of the Board in January this year.

In August the Board appointed David Cushing to enable a period of transition before the retirement

of Sir Selwyn and Ian. You will have the opportunity to ratify this appointment later today when

David offers himself for election.

David has had a successful career in business and investment banking, and has long played an active

part in managing the Cushing family’s investments, including their shareholding in Skellerup Group.

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The directors believe David’s experience across a broad range of industries including the rural sector,

combined with his financial and commercial expertise, make him a valuable addition to your Board

and we unanimously support his election later today.

We have directors with a range of skills, depth of knowledge and experience now on the Board.

However, we will continually consider if and when we need to add additional skills to grow the

business.

Finally, I would like to thank staff across the Group for their commitment and hard work.

I would also like to thank all shareholders for your support. We will continue to do everything we can

to justify that support.

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